Trunk.



F. W. MEYER.

TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED DBO.16, 1912.

Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. W. MEYER.

TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 1G 1912. 1 y lgw g Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

2 SIIEETS-SHEBT 2. i729- 725/. J.

1 i l I Qf/f 5 ree FRANK W. MEYER, 0F OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE OSHKOSH TRUNK COMPANY, OF OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

TRUNK.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Dec. 8, 191.4.

Application filed December 16, 1912. Serial No. 736,884.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK W. MEYER, a. citizen of the United States, and a resident of Oshkosh, in the county of Winnebago and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements. in Trunks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear-,and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to trunks or cases having a compartment or compartments formed thereby or therein and provided with an adjustable partition or inner frame, and means for securing the latter in different adjusted positions.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a trunk with an adjustable partition or inner frame and means for enabling the partition to be moved to and securely held in different adjusted positions in a simple and efficient manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a trunk having garment-support ing members therein, with an adjustable partitionor inner frame adapted to be readily moved into and out of engagement with garments to be supported by the garment-supporting members, and to be remow ably secured in different adjusted positions so as to prevent the garments from becoming disengaged from the garment-supporting members, and ,to hold the garments in such a manner as to prevent them from being crumpled or disarranged.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear from an examination of the following description and claims and from an inspection of the accompanying drawings.

The invention consists in the features. combinations, and details of construction herein described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a,view in'elevation of a trunk or casing constructed in accordance with my improve ment, showing my improved adjustable partition or inner frame and garment supports in position therein, with a portion of the cover broken away; Fig. 2, a vertical section, taken on line 2 of Fig. 1 looking main body portion or easin in the direction of the arrow, and showing the trunk or case with cover closed; Fig. 3. a detail view of a portion of one of the racks upon which the adjustable partition or frame is adapted to be suspended, and showposition; Fig. 4, a view in elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 3, taken on line l of said figure; Fig. 5, an enlarged detail view of the parts shown in Fig. 3, with the partition or frame-supporting pivot or finger and the adjacent portion of the partition or frame in the position which they would occupy when the frame or partition is in horizontal or inoperative position as when the upper end of the frame or partition is being moved along the racks into or out of operative position; Fig. 6, a view in vertical section, taken on line 6 of Fig. 5, of the parts shown in said figure; and Fig. 7, a view of the spring-pressed catches or bolts, and means for releasing or operating the same, and showing portions of the toothed racks located on opposite sides of the adjustable partition or frame in horizontal section.

In constructing a trunk or case in accordance with my improvements, I provide a which comprises end walls (I. and Z). side walls 0, a bottom or back wall (Z and a cover a which is connected with the main body portion by means of suitable hinges 7, all forming a compartment or inner inclosed space adapted to contain garments or articles to be placed therein.

The trunk or casehere shown is provided with a set of garment supports it, each of which comprises lower garment-engaging arms 2' and upper supporting arms slidably mounted upon parallel horizontal frame portions or rods 70 which are connected by means of a metallic frame member or rod 2 which extends at right angles to the rods is. The opposite extremities of the rod I are connected with or bent to form parallel rod portions m which are slidably mounted in sleeves or tubes a, said sleeves or tubular telescoping members, in turn, being slidably mounted in suitable supporting sockets or brackets 0 on opposite sides of the garment-supporting members, and in such position thatthey will be in the upper portion of the case or trunlr when the latter is on end or in upright position as shown in the drawings. The garment-supporting members 72. are thus suspended from and slid-able upon the rods 71: of the telescoping or sliding frame so as to enable the sl'idable metallic frame members to be moved outward or inward to collapsed position, as desired. The garment-supporting members it and, with them, the garmentssuspended thereon may thus be moved outward along the rods is, thus rendering the garments readily accessible and enabling them to be removed from or placed upon the garmentsupporting members with facility. hangers may thus be separated or moved close together, so as to enable garments supported thereby to be inclosed and properly held within the receptacle in an eflicient manner.

In Fig. 2 the garment siipporting members is, are shown in position to hold gar ments in suspended position within the coinpartinent formed by the casing. On each side wall a near the upper portion of the casing is mounted. a toothed rack p, which is formed preferably of metal and comprises a, series of upwardly extending ratchet or rack teeth 9 and a flange r which projects over the teeth q, and in parallel relation to thetoothed portion of the rack in position to form a guard which extends over and in engagement with laterally projecting pivots or supporting fingers s which are formed.-

of metal and secured to the opposite upper corners or marginal portions of a frame or partition 6 by means of rivets u, or other suitable securing means. The frame or adj ustable partition here shown comprises longitudin-al side members a and transverse connecting members or slats w, the opposite ends of which are connected with the side frame members '0 by means of rivets y, or

other suitable securing means, and a cen-- tral, longitudinal or upright member 2 extends from end to end of the frame and is connected at its opposite ends with the transverse end members 2 and 3 of the frame or partition, thus forming a light and substantial lattice-work partition or adjustable inner frame which is suspended from the toothed racks 7) by means of the laterally projecting pivots or fingers s which are adapted to he moved between the guard flange 9 and the teeth 9 to or from any desired adjusted position or to be entirely removed from the casing, as desired. The pivots or :upporting lingers s are, in crosssectional form, elongated vertically, or in the direction of the length of the partition, and are adapted to enter at their lower The ma am edges between the teeth of the racks p when the partition is in operative or vertical position, as seen in Figs. and 4, and to slide along the tops of said teeth, beneath the guard flange r, when the partition is swung to and held in a horizontal position, as seen in Figs. 5 and 6. Said pivots or fingers are made wider vertically and thinner transversely, or in their shorter dimensions, than the spaces 4 between the tops of the teeth and the bottom edge of the guard flange, so that they may slide or move readily through or along said spaces, when the partition is held-in a horizontal position and is moved or shifted inwardly or outwardly, and willbe" held by the lower edges of said guards in engagement with the teeth of the racks, when the partition is in its vertical or operative position; the lower edges of the guards being so near the teeth and the fingers being of such vertical width as to prevent the fingers becoming disengaged from the rack-teeth by any lifting or "upward shifting movement of the partition,

so that the partition will be locked from backward or forward movement at its upper end, except when intentionally swung into a horizontal position for the purpose of adjusting the partition inwardly or outwardly.

Tlie'toothed rack 10 and guard 7' for each side of the trunk or compartment may be made in one integral piece, the rack portion and guard being connected by means of ayertical main body portion or web 5, the upper marginal portion of which is bent to form the guarding flange r and the lower portion 'of which is bent to form a bottom inwardly projecting, horizontal flange portion 6 which may be integral with the vertical rack portion 7) which is thus supported in position to form a guide for the partition or frame and to permit the latter to be swung to horizontal position in the operation of inserting it or removing it and to be adjusted to any desired position or in engagement with any desired teeth of the racks without allowing the pivots s to slip out of place or out of position to properly engage the racks.

In order to provide means for holding the lower portion of the adjustable partition or inner frame in the different adjusted. positions in which it is adapted to be placed, lower racks 7- are mounted on opposite'sidcs of the partition, respectively, and each secured to a side wall 0 of the compartment or case by means of screws 8, or other desired securing means. Theseracks are, by preference, formed of metal and are each so constructed as to comprise a series of rack teeth 9, best shown in Figs. 2 and 7, the outer edges of which are flush with or so disposed that they do not extend inward Cit beyond the inner surface or edge 10 of the main body portion of the rack of which they form a part. These racks, respectively, may be formed of a metallic plate having a series of notches cut therein so as to leave upper and lower continuous marginal portions which extend longitudinally of the racks from end to end thereof and between which the tongues or teeth 9 are located, said tongues or teeth being bent back or inward, as shown in Fig. 7, so as to extend in oblique relation to the inner surface or edge 10 of the rack.

Laterally movable, spring-pressed catches orbolts 11 are mounted upon the adjustable partition in position to project laterally beyond the inner edges of said partition or frame into engagement with the teeth 9 of the respective racks 7, each of said bolts being mounted in a suitable metallic casing.

12 adapted to form a slot or socket 13 in which the bolt is slidably mounted. Each bolt is provided with a compressible spring l-l one end of which is in engagement with the casing and the opposite end of which is in engagement with a shoulder or enlarged portion oi. the bolt so as to yieldingly hold the bolt in extended position, in which position the inclined end surface portion 15 of the bolt is adapted to slidably engage the adjacent oblique surface portion 16 oi? the teeth 9, so as to permit the bolt to be automatically pressed into locking engagement with the adjacent 'ack teeth and yieldingly held in such position by means of the spring l i when the partition in operative position or in engagement with the garments or articles to be held in place thereby. The casings 12 in which the bolts 11 are-mounted are each provided with a slot 17 through which a stud 18 having its inner end secured to the bolt extends at right angles to the bolt. The slots 17 and studs 18 thus serve to guide the bolts and to limit the movement thereof in one direction, the movement of the belts in the opposite direction being limited by the springs. Each of the sliding bolts is provided with a head 19 and operating bars 20 are provided, each having a perforated end portion in sliding engagement with a bolt 11 and connected \viththe bolt by means of the bolt head 19, the opposite ends of said operating bars being pivotally connected with an operating rocking lever 21 which is pivotally mounted upon the partition 6 be' tween the inner adjacent ends of said operating levers by n'ieans of a stub-shaft The lever 21 is in lined. relation to the stubsha'ft or pivot 22 and has opposite lever arms 23 which normally extend outward in opposite directions from the shalt or pivot 22, which is, by preference, midway between the opposite edges of the frame, said lever arms being pivotally connected with the ends of the respective operating rods 20 by means of pivot pins 24:, as shown in Fig. 7. The stun-shaft 22 is provided with a handle or opi-ral;',},g knob 25 mounted upon and in fixed rclano n thereto on the outer side of the adjustable partition, and said'shaft is provided with a washer or nut 26 on its inner end adapted to hold the shaft in operative position in the partition or frame and to permit it to be rocked or partially rotated in the operation of drawing the bolts to retracted or releasing position or in the movement of the bolts to extended or rack-engaging position.

When the levers 23 are in position to extend in diametrically opposite directions transversely of the partition, or at right angles with respect to the longitudinal center of the partition, the bolt-engaging ends of the operating rods 20 will be in position to permit the sliding bolts to engage the :racl: teeth and hold the partition in operative position or in any adjusted position in which it has been placed, as indicated in Fig. T,-the bolts being yieldingly held in engagement with the rack teeth by means of the springs, as already suggested. In order to release the bolts so as to permit the partition or suspended frame to be withdrawn from operative position or adjusted to any desired position, it is only necessary to rock the shal't and thereby the operating levers 23 in either direction, thereby moving the bolts against the tension of the rcspective springs to retracted position. The partition may then be raised to horizontal position and withdrawn or adjusted by moving it along the upper toothed racks, as desired.

Thebottom racks and the rack teeth thereof are oli such width as to permit the partition to swing inward with the ends of the. sliding bolts in sliding engagen'wnt with the teeth 9 ol the raelcs 7 and without necessitating the withdrawal of the bolts to retrartenl position by the operator in order to permit the partition or frame to swing inward to operative or vertical position. The bolt-engaging edges ol' the teeth 9 being llush with the inner edges or surface of the respective racks T, it will be seen that there are no sharp or projecting toothed portions on said racks which extend or project inward beyoml the marginal inner surface portion ol' the racks so as to catch or tcaror otherwise injure garments or artich contained within the trunk or compartment.

In order to provide means for reinforcing and sseourcly holding the rarhsi in position upon the side walls ol the trunk, parallel strips '16 are mounted in position to admit the oblique teeth or tongues it) of the racksthcrebetwiwn and the metallic strips or plates which lorm the racks proper are Secured to these strips by means of nails or screws 8 which extend through the marginal portions of the metallic raclt members and through said parallel strips 16.

1 claim:

1. 111 a trunk, the combination of a wardrobe section, horizontal toothed racks located in and on opposite sides of said wardrobe section, "guard members arranged par allel with and spaced a distance vertically from the teeth of said raclrs, a partition. men'iber or follower adapted be moved bodily inward and outward said ward robe section, fingers carried by said follower and adapted for locking engagement with the teeth of said racks, said lingers when in looking engagement with the teeth of said racks extending across the spaces between said rack teeth and the guard members and pivotally supporting the follower in said wardrobe section, said lingers being adapted to be turned out of locking engagement with the teeth of said racks and permit bodily movement of said follower inward and outward in said wardrobe section, and means for detachably holding said follower against swinging movement when said fingers are in locking engagement with the teeth of said racks.

2. In a trunk, the combination of a wardrobe, section, horizontal toothed racks located in and on'opposite'sides of said wardrobe section, horizontal guard members arranged parallel with said toothed racks and spaced adistance vertically from said rack.

teeth, locking fingers extending into the spaces between the rack teeth and guard members and adapted for locking engage ment with said rack teeth, and a follower or partition member connected and turnable with said fingers and acting to turn the fingers into and out of locking engagement with said rack teeth in the bodily swinging movement of said follower. I

3. In a trunk, the combination of a wardrobe section, horizontal toothed racks located in and on opposite sides of said wardrobe section, guard members arranged par allel with and spaced a distance vertically from the teeth of said racks, a partition member or follower adapted to be moved bodily inward and outward in said wardrobe section, fingers carried by said follower and adapted for locking engagement with the teeth of said racks, said fingers when in docking engagement with the teeth of said racks extending across the s aces between said rack teeth and said guar members and pivotall v supporting said follower in said wardrobe section, said fingers being moved out of locking engagement with the teeth of said racks when said follower is swung into a substantially horizontal position, and means for holding said follower against swinging movement when said fingers are inloclring engagement with said rack teeth.

nia aia l. In a trunk, the combination of a wardrobe section, horizontal toothed racks located in and on opposite sides of said wardrobe section, a partition member or follower adapted to be moved bodily inward and outward in saidWardrobe section, fingers carried by said follower and adapted when in locking en agement with the teeth of said raclrs to pivotally support said follower in said wardrobe section, said lingers being moved out of locking engagement with the teeth of racks the bodily movement of said follower, guard members spaced a distance vertically from the teeth of said racks and adapted to limit the vertical movement of said fingers, and means for detachably holding said follower against swinging movement whensaid fingers are in looking engagement with said rack teeth.

5. 1n a trunk, the combination of a ward robe section, horizontal channel members located in and on opposite sides of said wardrobe section, each channel member being provided with upper and lower parallel horizontal flanges, one of saidfianges having rack teeth thereon, and the other of said flanges forming a guard flange, a partition member or follower adapted to be moved bodily inward and outward in said wardrobe section, and fingers carried by said follower and adapted to extend between said flanges, and movable with the follower in the bodily swinging movement of the latter,

to bring said fingers into and out of locking engagement with said rack teeth.

6.11m a trunk, the'hombination of a wardrobe section, horizontal channel members 10 cated in and on oppositesides of said wardrobe section, each of said. channel members having upper andlower horizontal parallel flanges, the lower flange of each channel member being provided with rack teeth and the upper flange of each channel member constituting a guard flange, and a partition member or follower adapted to be moved bodily inward and outward in said wardrobe section, and fingers carried by said follower and adapted to extend between said flanges,

and movable with the follower in the bodily movement of the latter, to bring said fingers into and out of locking engagement with said rack teeth. 7

7 In a receptacle of the class described, the combination of a casing forming a compartment, horizontal racks located at opposite sides of the compartment, a partition provided at its upper-end with rigid, laterally projecting fingers adapted for enga ement with the teeth of said racks, lower, 1nwardly facing racks located at opposite sides of the compartment, spring-actuated, sliding bolts secured to the sides of the partition and adapted for engagement with the said lower racks, and means for operating said bolts comprising a shaft mounted on the Elli till? partition and provided with a turning knob, rigid lever arms on the shaft and operating bars pivotally connected with said arms and said bolts.

In testimony, that I, claim the foregoing as my invention I afiix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses, this 12th day of December A. D. 1912.

FRANK W. MEYER. \Vitnesses A. H. WVENDLAND, V. E. KRIPPEM. 

